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There were several “events” in this match, any one of which
one could point to and say they were game changers. Most of which involved one
or more of the referees, of course. And there are those who say that Signore Valeri
decided the outcome of the game. But I would remind them of Milan’s barrage of
shots, 18 in all, at least six on target. Or how much time was spent with Milan
attacking. Or even just how well Milan played overall. So even if some of the calls did not go our way, our boys put mind
over matter, ignoring the poor reffing, and absolutely deserved the three points.

Udinese are in eighth place on the table just behind Milan. In fact only goal differential separates them. They have also been languishing with the draws, and I'm sure would love nothing more than to surprise and take all three points when they come to the San Siro on Sunday. Milan are coming off of a good game vs. Inter, but a disappointing result. With reinforcements in the form of several starters potentially returning, they will be hungry to earn their first win in five matches. So ready the fortress, Milan fans. This is shaping up to be a battle for the middle of the table.

Here in America, we are celebrating Thanksgiving today. If you have ever celebrated it with an American, you will probably think that it is all about eating way too much, watching parades and/or American football, and fighting with your family. But its true meaning lies in counting your blessings, in showing gratitude for what you have. So today, as I spend the day in the kitchen cooking and then eating way too much food and maybe watching some Europa League, I will also take some time to reflect and be thankful.

If you are familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy, you'll remember that there were different ages in the history of Middle Earth. The Berlusconi era at Milan has also seen changes in power. With the retirement of Maldini, I think we can all agree that most of the magical powers within Milan left the club. Sure, the other Senatori who were left may have stayed a few more years, but they were virtually powerless to affect the changes that were coming. Despite improvements in the squad this year, I think it is quite clear that Milan are now seeing the dawn of the Age of Men.

It was a much anticipated Derby, even if the football was never going to live up to the hype. A sold out San Siro, the return after seven years of drums and megaphones to the stadium, and a new coach for Inter while a Milan legend oversaw his first Derby. The fans showed up in record-breaking numbers, the Milan Curva showed up with amazing coreografia as usual, and the Inter Curva did the same thing they've been doing for 45 years: suck. Perfect atmosphere for a Derby. And I think the players did their best, too. But perhaps the most disappointing thing about the night was that we were reminded once again of how diminished the level of play is in all of Serie A right now. Yet both teams fought until the final whistle. They put on the best show they could in the theater that is the San Siro.

It’s Derby time. Time for wrongs to be made right. For good
to overcome evil. For the balance of Milano to be restored. Unless Inter win,
of course. De Jong scored in April to give us our first Derby victory since
January of 2011. Can we make beating Inter a habit? With so many changes to
both sides, and three points toward a European spot at the end of the year, it
will be anyone’s game. So let’s get ready for a throwdown.

The Derby della Madonnina is always a heated affair. Even
more so since Calciopoli
in 2006, when Inter’s special brand of participation in the scandal gave them unfair
advantages, including titles that stand even today. Kind of ironic, then that
just ahead of the Derby, Inter would bring back the coach from that same time
period, who clearly also has no qualms about the advantages his team gained or
claiming the titles that Inter “won” under his tenure. So even more so than
with other rivals, this Derby calls for a post profiling a few of the villains
we’ll potentially face in the Nerazzurri on Sunday.

Milan fans know that Berlusconi and Galliani have been stuck
in their ways and have not kept up with all of the changes in football, hurting
the club extensively. But what you may not realize is that they are part of a
large group of similarly minded owners, club presidents and more who control
much of Serie A. While there have been many factors that have contributed to
Serie A’s demise, one of the most impactful has been the death grip that these
old men hold on the league and their unwillingness to change or prepare for the
future. Serie A is being held hostage by the Old Boys’ Club.

You may have heard the phrase “selling ice to eskimos.” But
Barbara Berlusconi has the task of selling manure as if it were gold. Taking a
team that has not only fallen from grace, but whose quality has decreased
exponentially in the last two and a half years, and trying to increase the
revenue via clever marketing, increasing brand awareness, and selling more
merchandise, amongst other things. She may as well have taken that ice job with
the eskimos, because it is almost impossible for anyone these days to be
selling Milan.

For years I wanted a Milan calendar for my wall, but could
never find one. Then, last winter, Milan were selling a wall calendar and desk
calendar combo for a very reasonable price, so of course I bought the set right
away. I was thrilled and so proud to show my Milan pride. At least until I realized that
there would be two transfer markets this calendar year. So the team whose
photos are on my calendars is definitely not the same team Milan have now. So
much for my Milan pride. Now when people come over and ask who that is, I have
to tell them he’s an ex-Milan player.

Despite
early encouraging results, more recently the squad have shown that getting the
Milan back that we know and love is not going to happen overnight. We fans have
been tested already this season with a roller coaster first part of the season
including wins, draws, losses, goals scored and conceded, and all of the hype
that goes along with those things. Many of our players also want to play for
their national teams, but how many of them will? We try to answer that and
discuss the newer players and the season so far for you in this episode of
Milan Impossible.

The match everyone was watching to see which Milan would
show up for did not disappoint. Four goals, five yellow cards, a red card, and
plenty of action, it was certainly not boring. And while there were great moments
like El Shaarawy breaking his goalless streak, there were plenty of question
marks about the squad, their performance, Inzaghi, his eyesight, and our
chances of making it back “home” to European competition. I think Milan have
opted to take the long way home.

So Milan will be playing their fifth game in 13 days on
Saturday. That’s like a baseball schedule, except baseball players don’t even
work up a sweat. Worse still is that it is away in Genoa at the Marassi (aka
the Haunted
Stadium.) Oh, and did I mention that Sampdoria are in great form, in a
deserved 4th place in the league? So yeah. This might be a good match to watch
with one eye closed, watch while inebriated, watch with a support buddy, or all
of the above. As Popeye would say, “Well blow me down!”

While you were sleeping or working or trying to get the
aftertaste of Sunday out of your mind, Milan won another trophy. That’s right,
this Milan have bagged two trophies so far this season and it’s only the
beginning of November. Granted the names of the trophies are probably not the
ones you’d hope we’d add to our collection. But they are a testament to the
celebration of mediocrity that surrounds the club this season. Just a tale of
two trophies, nothing more.

Honestly, I don’t even know why we are playing this match.
San Lorenzo is the Pope’s team, and Milan are the Devils, and we all know how
that matchup ends: not good for Milan. Despite the fact that San Lorenzo could
have a decent case of jet lag, morale at Milan can’t be good after that
horrifying display on Sunday. So if it’s true what they say about mind over
matter, then having a poor mindset is worse than jet lag. No matter which way
you look at it, it’s not looking good for Milan midweek.

I’m not even gonna try to sugar coat this one, because there
is absolutely nothing to sugar coat. Also, if you missed the game somehow and
still have a little bit of optimism left, you should know why you shouldn’t.
Not only did the newly promoted Palermo shatter Milan hearts in front of 28,000
fans at home with a decisive victory and some help from Zapata, they shattered
the illusion that this Milan were going places, that we were doing something
special, that Inzaghi was some kind of magician. They shattered the belief that
somehow Galliani’s thrift store shopping for players had actually created a
team out of nothing. This was not just one game, this was a revelation of what
we all feared, but were hoping was not true. All our hopes and dreams.
Shattered.

In the classic movie “Princess Bride,” the proud Sicilian
Vizzini reminds us of one of the classic blunders: “Never go in
against a Sicilian when death is on the line.”Of course he tells us
this mere seconds before his death, so I’m not sure that it is necessarily
true. But then again, unless you believe the hype, hosting Palermo on Sunday
will not be Milan’s death, either. But I still hope that Milan play fearlessly,
like the Dread Pirate Roberts, against the Sicilian side. Because, you know,
you just can’t be too careful when death is on the line.